Rae has been talking about thinning the herd when it comes to Kaylee's toys. So it was no surprise when I came home to the two of them organizing toys into "keep" and "donate" piles.
The pinecones on the right are in the "donate" pile.
The "keep" pile on the left extends for at least another foot ...
SCENE: A Tucson rooftop. Fireworks burst in the distance over a small mountain. A crowd of friends and friends of friends have gathered to overeat, drink beer and watch stuff explode.
KAYLEE: Daddy, I want to go sit next to that boy.
DAD: Oh, Christ.
She runs over to ETHAN and sits down next to him. She begins to talk to him only to see him run away and seek shelter next to his PARENTS. Undeterred, KAYLEE pursues him.
ETHAN: Mommy, I don't want to sit next to that girl!
KAYLEE: But Ethan! Look at me. I have brown hair just like you!
ETHAN does his best to ignore the girl. Kaylee begins flipping her hair and shaking her head.
KAYLEE: And look what I can do. I do this with my hair sometimes.
DAD: Kaylee, we don't flip our hair at boys.
PARENTS: Oh yes she does!
DAD begins to sob quietly as the mountain begins to burn in the distance.
This year, my Fathers Day gift included a portrait of dear old dad as seen by my little girl. It is the best kind of portrait. It is a cookie portrait. (I also got bacon. Really. Bacon.)
It makes me look a bit like a mutant Mr Potatohead, but it tastes better. (Or at least I assume it tastes better. It smelled good and I imagine plastic doesn't taste very good.)
Features of note include:
Seperate legs, knees and feet
Seperate arms, shoulders, elbows and hands
My goatee
And that big blue thing on top is my brain.
I'm very happy that my daughter thinks enough of my brain to include it.
As I sit and write this, the thermometer is slowly creeping toward 100 degrees. The air is dry and still – the only movement from the ceiling fan buzzing above me.
A far cry from our trip to Southern California last week.
We knew we had a four-day weekend coming up. That's not quite long enough for a trip home, but we didn't want to sit around Tucson either. Luckily, the Marine Corps was kind enough to station Uncle Ry just outside San Diego and give him the long, holiday weekend off.
So we packed up the car and drove west.
There was lots of good times, good people, good food, a trip to the zoo (click here for Kaylee's POV), but most importantly – this was Kaylee's first trip to the ocean. I'm pretty sure she liked it.
And I'm pretty sure we'll be going back soon.
Kaylee and her Uncle Ry. They're like chocolate and peanut butter – two great tastes that go great together. Only I don't recommend eating them – they probably taste like people, not candy.
One of these two people failed to put sunscreen on their feet and was pretty miserable for the rest of the week. The other one just got a little brown.
The two of us dug a Kaylee-sized hole – but she was smart enough not to get in. So we dug a larger hole and buried Mom instead.
Even though Uncle Ry's E-Tool was almost as big as she is, I believe we found the perfect beach toy.
At first, Kaylee wasn't interested in the water. I think it was just too big and too cold. But then the tide started to roll in and she couldn't resist playing in the big waves. Or at least running away from them.
A game which Uncle Ry was more than happy to get in on.
This is one of my favorite shots from the weekend. If you listen closely, you can hear her giggle.
After a mad-dash-morning getting everything ready (that we thought we had done already – but apparently not because we barely left the house on time), Rae and I dropped the kid off at New School today. There was a little hesitation on Kaylee's part jumping into things – a lot of hiding behind Dad's legs and feigning shyness – but once the teachers started engaging with her she was fine.
She even picked her own name tag out (and called them out for not drawing the "y" correctly) from the pre-written sheets. Gotta say, that makes a Dad proud.
By the time Rae returned an hour later with a brand new towel (yes, they started swim lessons today and we had to make a Target run because we forgot to bring a towel – geeks may now commence with the Douglas Adams jokes) Kaylee was fully into circle time and was more perplexed than relieved at Mom's reappearance. (Mom, what are YOU doing here?)
We didn't get any emergency phone calls – so she stayed all day. Upon pickup we learned that:
We need to pack a bigger lunch. She ate all of hers and wanted more, more, more.
She, in no uncertain terms, did NOT like the cold water in the pool and really did not like water in her eyes.
She told her teacher she wasn't going to nap – and proceeded to pass out minutes later.
She really wants a blanket to snuggle with. (That, I can fix tomorrow.)
She got along with everyone fine and seemed to enjoy her day.
After further reflection, Kaylee now tells us:
She didn't like her new school because it is different and wants to go back to her old school.
She didn't like any of the kids or teachers.
She REALLY didn't like getting water in her eyes.
Also, she wants to go back to her old school. (Added again for emphasis.)
So I know the move is for the best, and I know she's just being dramatic – but when you add into all of this that I got called into work and wasn't there to pick her up today like I promised, I just feel like #1 Deadbeat Dad.
Tomorrow is another day.
Tomorrow we'll bring a blanket and a bigger lunch.
So for about a week now we've been talking to Kaylee about how she's going to start a new school soon. We've talked about what she's going to do there, and somehow she's decided that learning about dinosaurs means she'll be hunting for them as if they were alive. That puts this new school at the top of her cool-but-a-little-bit-scary list, which is an apt description of how I'm feeling about the whole situation.
Today Kaylee told me something that made me want to cry and smile at the same time (I opted for smiling a big grin). We're on our way home from daycare and she's telling me about her day. Some days she wants to talk, other days she doesn't. Today was somewhere in between. Sort of out of the blue she asks if she can visit her friend Cleia after she goes to her new school. (Cleia and she have become quite attached to each other.) Then she tells me that Cleia is going to miss her soo soo much when she goes to her new school. She tells me that she asked Dominic if he would be Cleia's friend while she was gone and he said "Yes!" Her eyes were a little sad (or maybe it was the allergies) but her smile was so big.
I told her I was so happy she was making sure her friend had someone to play with after she was at her new school. My baby's growing up... (I get the feeling I'm going to be saying that a lot.)
Kaylee and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Racheal (Grammys, Grandma Cindys and GGs too) for everything she does. The big things, the little things and the things that are so small that no one even notices – but would miss if the were gone. The meals. The cleaning. The play time. The hugs. Especially the hugs.
After subjecting my daughter to Free Comic Book Day – complete with Stormtroopers(and no, they weren't asking for papers, the law doesn't go into effect for a while still) – I suggested a trip to the park to help balance out her geek levels for the day.
Rae suggested and picked up a kite. Glad she did. We kept that thing in the air for a good 45 minutes.
Overheard (and paraphrased) while Kaylee was chatting on the phone with Rae (who is currently on a business trip):
Tomorrow I will go to school and take a nap.
And then my daddy will pick me up and we will eat dinner.
And then I will go to sleep and my daddy will take me to the airport in my slippers and we will pick you up because we love you and you love me and you love my daddy.
And we will live happily ever after.
OK. Love you. Bye.
Daddy, can I play the letters game on your phone now?
It's the final weekend of the fair, so we had to head out to get our annual dose of dust, sun, fried foods and carnies. There were ponies to be ridden, baby goats to be mauled and Rae even let Kay go down the giant slide by herself. (Though she - she being Rae - panicked the entire time.)
I'll see if I can't get the video up later. It's a lot of fun to watch her bony butt go flying when she hits the bumps.
At only $1, making rope is easily the best buy at the fair.
Kaylee loves llamas.
REALLY loves llamas.
Kids go in tha cage. Cage goes tha watah. Shahks ah in tha watah.
We've rearranged the house a bit in anticipation of additional moves, necessitated by tearing up our kitchen floor and replacing it with tile. Kaylee discovered that it created the perfect dance studio — complete with wood floor, mirror and radio within the reach of three-year-olds.
This is a big deal. She can now make music whenever she wants. And the girl loves her music.
Rae and I had already split up for our post-dinner duties. So while she headed off to scrub the bathtub, I proceeded to pick up the dinner dishes.
And the music came on.
And she started to twirl.
And I stopped to watch.
When ABBA came on I smiled a bit because she immediately fled the room. I was already forming stories about how I learned about her great taste in music at a young age. Stories that I would tell family and friends and would-be suitors should the need to brag about my little girl arise.
Then I heard the familiar CLAK CLAK CLAK CLAK of the high shoes as she ran back into the dining room — and I immediately gave up on my dreams of the perfect story and did what any dad would do. I grabbed the phone and started recording as she resumed her twirls and pirouettes.
And then she surprised me.
She asked me to dance.
Now if you're reading this, you probably know me pretty well, so it should come as no surprise to you that I don't dance. I just don't. Even in the privacy of my own home, when I'm all alone, I just don't.
But I've always said that if anything could get me to dance, it would be a request from my daughter. And up until now, she has had zero interest in dancing with dad. Even at weddings she'd dance with Mom and brides and grandpas and total strangers — but not Dad. It's always been a little relieving and a little heart-breaking at the same time.
But this time I got my invitation. And I jumped at the offer. It was just a couple of quick spins around the room, no more than a minute at most, but it's one of those moments that I'll always remember.
Even if she lost interest shortly after I turned off the camera.
Even if I got in trouble for not cleaning up the table.
I cringed a little bit when Kaylee announced that she had a baby in her tummmy. (Actually a doll stuffed up in her shirt.) But I have to admit, she makes a damn cute new mom.
I went to the Ren Fair this weekend and all I got was this awesome mermaid tat* with my best friend.
* And a turkey leg. And a parasol. And a ride on a giant wooden swan from a man with horrible teeth. And chocolate. And a llama ride. And an elephant ride. And ...
